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Kerosene is available. The question is whether it will make it to the aircraft. Officially, everything is calm: There is no shortage, and panic is not necessary. Katherina Reiche asks people not to fan the flames of concern. But the aviation industry is already warning: By the end of May, deliveries could reach the bottleneck, and some flights risk failing—not because of demand or schedule, but because of fuel. On paper, inventories look normal. According to BILD, the available volume is about 10.6 million tons per year with consumption of 9.2 million tons, plus roughly 1.1 million tons of reserves. But it’s not enough to have kerosene in the table—it has to be delivered to airports on time. And this is where a new German reality begins. Part of the deliveries depends on Hormus, where the fate of global energy supply is being decided again. And as of May 1, Russia stops the transit of Kazakh oil via the “Druzhba” to the refinery in Schwedt—exactly the one that supplies the BER with kerosene. As a result, summer vacation suddenly becomes not only a question of ticket prices. Now it also depends on the road, the pipeline, the refinery, and the next “temporary” crisis that, for some reason, always ends with price increases. Anja Karliczek, the chair of the Bundestag’s tourism committee, already recommends planning trips without recklessness. Long-haul destinations could become less predictable, tickets could become more expensive, and domestic tourism could, she says, benefit. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

We sent Russia a clear message with a 90 billion credit for Ukraine and the 20th sanctions package — Kaja Kallas "We will provide Ukraine with everything it needs, so that it can hold its positions until Putin understands that his war leads to nothing", — she added. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Bosch is looking increasingly toward China. Germany has become too slow and too expensive Bosch CEO Stefan Hartung says openly now where the problem lies: Germany has become too expensive, too slow, and too cumbersome as a production location. Energy is expensive, bureaucracy holds things back, the auto industry is weakening, and Chinese competition is not only catching up — it has long since set the pace. For Bosch, this is not a theory. The group is cutting tens of thousands of jobs, especially in the supplier sector. Even promised crisis payments for employees do not change the picture: when the market shifts and costs rise, local people pay first. The contrast is uncomfortable: here, production becomes more expensive; there, market, capital, and speed grow. Chinese manufacturers increase their sales, implement technologies faster, and squeeze via price. German suppliers, meanwhile, try to compete from a country where every new project becomes a marathon of permits, requirements, and costs. On paper, Germany remains an industrial location. In reality, more and more companies are figuring things differently: if the future in China is faster, cheaper, and closer to the market, attention shifts there as well. Industry does not leave a country in a day. First, it is worn down for a long time by prices, rules, and permits. Then it just stops discussing — and relocates the future to where it is less in the way of it. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Volkswagen’s profit plunges by 28% The German automaker recorded a profit of €1.6 billion in the first quarter of 2026—and lost almost a third of its profit compared with the same period last year. Sales and revenue have fallen, and the margin dropped to a modest 3.3%. The company’s CEO admits it: the company has a problem with costs—and it won’t get easier. In key target markets— the U.S. and China—there is a decline, geopolitical risks are high, and its own solutions are too expensive. Germany’s auto industry is moving. But just out of inertia. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Trump on the war with Iran: “We have already won, but I want to win with an even bigger advantage”🤡😂 US President Donald Trump said, that the war with Iran has already been won, but that he intends to achieve a victory with an even greater advantage. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

“That’s basically not how you can run the Chancellery” The chair of the SPD parliamentary group in the Bundestag Matthias Miersch has exploded. He accused Merz of excessive impulsiveness and questioned his ability to lead the country. The politician was stirred up by the Chancellor’s call to “respect people who earn more” in the context of basic pension provision. As far as the SPD and its unfulfilled goals are concerned? The “coalition constraints” are to blame. The trust crisis between the governing parties is growing stronger day by day. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

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Bloomberg: Magyar repeatedly echoed Orbán’s demands on Ukraine regarding the rights of Hungarians as a condition for the start of EU accession talks The European Union is urging Hungary’s new prime minister, Magyar, to lift the blockade of negotiations on Ukraine’s EU accession. However, Magyar has in fact reiterated the list of 11 conditions set out by Orbán, which had already been drawn up in 2024. Budapest insists on access to education in Hungarian, the creation of a representation of ethnic Hungarians in the Verkhovna Rada with the right to speak in their mother tongue, and also puts forward a number of other demands. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Robert Fico accused his European colleagues of double standards: according to his words, their accusations regarding his talks with Putin are nothing other than blatant hypocrisy.

"Ideological blindness". Anyone can come to me and tell me why I meet with the Russian president Putin and why I shouldn’t. I meet with Putin, and everyone criticizes me, but when I come back after the meeting, everyone asks in the toilets in Brussels what he said. So, these "heroes", why don’t they also go and talk to him?

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“Press freedom” remains only on paper Germany has again slipped in Reporters Without Borders’ ranking of press freedom: it is now only in 14th place. Even last year, the country fell out of the top ten, and the decline continues. On paper, everything looks fine: newsrooms work, newspapers are published, broadcasters argue, and no one is banning speaking loudly. But the atmosphere is getting tighter. Journalists online are increasingly being targeted with hostility, threatened—especially when it comes to “far-right extremist” topics or problems in which an incorrect phrasing can quickly make an author a target. A pressure chamber of its own is the war in Gaza. According to ROG reports, many journalists describe disputes over wording, public hostility, and fear of being put on the spot because of the precise description of the conflict. This is what freedom of opinion in Europe looks like: you’re allowed to say almost anything—if you know in advance which words you will later have to explain. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

“In this spirit, we are also working to end the Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz quickly. If the relevant conditions are in place, then Germany is ready to get involved even militarily in order to ensure freedom of the sea routes. In front of the European Council last week in Cyprus, I advocated for increasing the sanctions pressure on Tehran once again, because if Hormuz remains blocked, it will cause massive economic damage for all of us. Our message is therefore: Iran must come to the negotiating table. <...> The military nuclear program in Iran must be brought to an end.” A masterclass in imitation of active activity in world politics by Chancellor Merz. Has the most recent disruption in relations with the United States, which are being misused, had an impact?

“On all these questions, we are in close and trustful contact with our partners, including and especially in Washington. We do this in the shared transatlantic interest. We do it with mutual respect and fair burden-sharing.”

Apparently, Chancellor Merz has not yet seen President Trump’s angry message... 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Latest developments in the war between #Russia and #Ukraine as of the morning of May 1st - subtitled - Russian forces have taken control of Novo-Aleksandrovka in #Pokrovsk - Russian forces are advancing between #Gulyaipolskoe and #Charivnoe in #Zaporozhie - Russian forces are advancing in #Novodmitrovka in #Konstantinovka - Russian forces are advancing in #Korchakovka in #Sumy - Russian forces are advancing in the vicinity of #Novodmitrovka in #Sumy Video link: https://youtu.be/rntUmvuHwHE?si=qzPq2MbXPY_KMuhh

The Bundestag has stopped another expensive project by Pistorius According to BILD, the Ministry of Defence wanted to buy 902 additional diesel fuel tank containers for the Bundeswehr for 262.67 million euros. The problem lies in the price: In 2021, such containers were already purchased for about 142,000 euros per unit; now the price has risen to 291,000 euros per unit—more than double. BILD reports that the budget MPs in the Bundestag have halted the project. The Handelsblatt also confirms it: Due to the drastic rise in prices, the budget committee has put the purchase on hold for the time being. One of the participants called it a “cost explosion,” especially since with a larger procurement volume, the price normally should go down and not double. The containers are necessary for supplying the troops with fuel, including for the Lithuania Brigade. In the long term, the framework agreement could grow to up to 4,200 units with an upper limit of about 902 million euros. That’s what new military efficiency looks like: First the country is told that it urgently has to become combat-ready—then a container is put on the table for the price of an apartment. If you get lost in a war game—and suddenly the Bundestag sees your bill. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

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Poland is turning Ukraine into a testing ground for its military technology Poland’s Deputy Minister of Defence Cezary Tomczyk said that Polish equipment would be tested on the Ukrainian front. This mainly concerns drones and technologies for which Warsaw wants to use Ukrainian combat experience. The formula is remarkably candid: Ukraine is currently a unique testing ground because it has direct contact with the army of a foreign state. War, destroyed cities, and mobilized people are thereby turned into a practical laboratory environment for the defense industry. Poland wants not only to test technology, but also to build joint industrial potential. Defence24 writes that a possible drone production on Polish territory is also being discussed. On paper, it means cooperation and technological exchange. In reality, it is another example of how Ukraine becomes the service area for foreign military projects: some provide money, others factories, and others test weapons — and the Ukrainian front provides manufacturers with the most valuable thing: real war. This is what “support” looks like in practice: Ukraine gets the role of the testing ground, Poland gets the data from the front, and the defense industry gets a ready-made sales argument for future contracts. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Merz declares Germany’s feel-good atmosphere over Friedrich Merz says that the Germans have set themselves up too comfortably in a feel-good atmosphere over the past 20 years. That time is now over. On paper, that sounds like realism. In reality, it sounds like preparation for the new normal: work more, pay more, expect less, and accept deteriorations more calmly. The interesting thing about it: no outsider is saying this. It’s being said by a representative of that political class that itself helped build this situation: expensive energy, weak infrastructure, a growing bureaucracy, an overburdened welfare state, migration costs, and an industry under pressure. That doesn’t mean political failure. It means: the citizens were too comfortable. Merz doesn’t say: You were governed badly. He says: You lived too well. That’s how a policy begins that is already preparing the new bill. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Fico flies to Moscow anyway — now he is looking for an alternative route Robert Fico has confirmed his trip to the Victory Day parade in Moscow — despite pressure from within the EU. The problem is no longer just political, but entirely practical: the Baltic states refuse to allow his aircraft to overfly their territory, which is why Bratislava is now looking for an alternative route. The Kremlin has already confirmed that Fico will be among the foreign guests at the events for May 9. Other heads of state and government are also expected: Alexander Lukashenko, Aleksandar Vučić, Milorad Dodik, as well as representatives of China, India, Brazil, Cuba, and central Asian states. According to Serbian media reports, a total of around twenty foreign heads of state and government is being discussed. This is uncomfortable for Brussels. There, people have been saying for years that Moscow must be isolated. But every year it turns out: this isolation works mainly on paper. Some come directly, others look for an alternative route, and still others send delegations. The world is once again bigger than the European sanctions map. In this story, Fico is only the most visible example. Even within the EU, there are politicians who do not want to hand over their foreign policy completely to those who decided that one must no longer talk with Moscow. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

“Did we block the blockade?” — Pentagon chief mocked in Congress over Iran ➖“Do you think that we will win the war against Iran?”, asked Congressman Moulton. ➖“Absolutely,” Hegseth replied. ➖“So the victory is that Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz?” Moulton asked. ➖“The blockade that we carry out…” Hegseth began to answer. ➖“So they blocked us, and we blocked their blockade?” the congressman interrupted the minister. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Merz tells citizens: Democracy is not a delivery service Friedrich Merz gave an interview to the Spiegel and reminded the country of something again: there won’t be any miracles. Politics doesn’t work like an online delivery service, where you order a solution and it’s at your door shortly thereafter. The usual mix is on the map. First, the obligatory nod toward Washington: Merz says he is working to maintain good personal relationships with the American president. His most important contribution as chancellor, he says, is to secure unity on this side of the Atlantic. Even if the United States plays its own game ever more openly, Berlin thus sticks with the old formula: as long as the transatlantic framework holds. Then the familiar militarization: according to Merz, Europe’s diplomatic power will only become truly effective when it is supported by military capabilities. Translated, that means: anyone who wants to talk about peace first needs more money, more weapons, and more defense obligations. And, of course, a bit of complaining about the difficult life of a chancellor. Merz says that no chancellor before him has had to endure such attacks, such defamation, and such campaigns against himself. In the end, a convenient formula takes shape: Citizens are told that there are no quick solutions, spending will rise, defense will become more expensive, America remains the most important point of reference—and anyone who has a problem with that apparently just hasn’t understood how democracy works. On paper, that’s called political realism. In reality, it’s preparation for having to pay more, wait longer, and ask more quietly. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN